Bracelet



Jan. 15, 1952 A METCALF 2,582,878

BRACELET Filed March 13; 1946 we" a ATTORNEYS.

Patented Jan. 15, 1 952 BRACELET Alpha H. Metcalf, Plainville, Mass, assignor to L. S. Peterson Company, North .Attleboro,

Mass., at eo-partnership Application March 13, 1948, Serial No. 654,019

1 Claim. 1

This invention relates to a bracelet, more particularly of the type having two tubular sections which are hinged together at their meeting ends While the other meeting ends may move into and from engagementand be detachably held by a clasp. Inthe formation of a bracelet of this character, some sort of a clasp is provided which is soldered into the end of one of the sections and will clasp the other section to hold the sections in closed position.

One of the objects of this invention is to provide a catch which may be assembled with the bracelet without solder.

Another object .of the invention is to provide a catch which may be easily removed by mechanioal manipulation from the bracelet and replaced by anew catch.

Another object of this invention is to provide a catch for holding the bracelet in closed position and which will also limit the opening movement of the bracelet.

Another object of the invention is to'provide a tongue-which will hold the bracelet in closed position or limit the opening movement of the bracelet, and which maybe inserted into the ends of the bracelet and held there without the use of solder.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists of certain novel features of construction, as will be more fully described and particularly pointed out in the appended claim.

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 is an elevation showing the bracelet in closed position;

Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1 but showing the bracelet in open position;

Fig. 3 is a plan view on substantially lines 3--3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a plan view partly in section on a larger scale and illustrating the tubular sections of the bracelet brought into abutting relation;

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 4 but showing the bracelet sections as spaced from each other and the relative position of the tongue member:

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the tongue member.

In proceeding with this invention, I cut from sheet stock a strip of material which is slotted through a substantial part of its length, to prc vide resiliency to a bar thus formed. On this bar, I provide projections which look into openings in the bracelet to perform the functions of limiting the opening movement of the bracelet or to hold the bracelet in closed position. Certain of the projections may be removed from their respective openings by flexing the. bar which carries them inwardly.

With reference to the drawings, I provide a bracelet section It? and another. bracelet section ll. These sections have their adjacent ends I2 and i3 hinged as at I 6 so as to swing one relative to the other in any desired manner, thus permitting the free end portions [5 and it of the bracelet to be moved toward and from each other as shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

A tongue designated generally I1 is shown in perspective in Fig. 6 and consists of a piece of sheet stock out out and arched so asto slide into the opposite tubular ends of the bracelet. This tongue E1 is slotted as at it throughout the major portion of its length providing bars i 9 and 23 which may be flexed toward each other. A projection 25 is carried by one portion of the bar 23 while projections 22 and 23 are carried by other portions of the bar. The bracelet section 1 I has an opening 24 provided in its free end portion [5 and the projection 23 is positioned in this opening, as shown in Fig. 5, with its opposite right angular abutment surfaces 26 and 2t engaging the opposite edges of the opening 24 so as to prevent relative 1ongitudinal movement of the tongue I! in this end of the bracelet. Thus, this end of the tongue is designed to at all times move with the free end It of the bracelet.

The opposite end of the tongue I! is positioned into the tubular end i5 of the bracelet and is of a size to slide thereinto with the opposite bars i9 and 2&1 engaging the inner surfaces of the tube. The projection 22 on the bar 20 will extend into an opening 28 in the end portion [5 of the section it as shown in Fig. 4 and will serve to hold the abutting end portions l5 and it of the bracelet in closed position. One edge 29 of this projection 22 is provided at right angles to the bar 20 so as to engage the edge of the opening 28 and prevent movement of the free ends of the sections from each other unless this projection 22 is disengaged from its opening. Such disengagement may occur by pressure upon the projection 23 inwardly as shown by the arrow 3!] so as to cause such disengagement. The opposite edge of the projection 22 is inclined as shown at 3! so that when the tongue is in the position such as shown in Fig. 5 with its projection 22 out of the opening 28 and the sections are moved toward each other then this inclined surface 3i will bear against the edge of the open end of the tubular section 15 and cause the projection to be moved inwardly as the ends are brought together and this projection 22 will slide along the inner surface of the tubular bracelet until it reaches the opening 28 when it will snap into this opening and thus lock the sections together.

When the sections are being moved from closed position to open position and the tongue I! is moving outwardly from the end portion 15 of the section III, then the projection 2| which has a right angular abutment surface 32 will snap into the opening 28 when it reaches registry therewith such as shown in Fig. 5. The opposite edge 33 of this projection 21 is inclined so that when pressure is exerted on the tongue to move it into the end I5 of the section l0 this projection will be forced inwardly and will move over the inner surface of the tubular section H) to the desired extent.

This tongue is entirely detachable from both ends of, the sections by merely forcing inwardly to a sufficient extent the projections so that they will befree' from the openings in which they engage when the same may be withdrawn and a new tongue may be positioned in the bracelet by reverseoperation, all without the use of heat or solder. p j 1 A constructionof this character is particularly advantageous in a babys.braceletiwheredestruction of the bracelet is liable to occur. Thus, these parts may be quicklyand easily replaced for repair if necessary by the use of simple tools.

' Iclaim: f I A bracelet comprising two tubular fsections hinged together at adjacent ends for the swinging of their free ends toward substantially abutting relation and away from each other, a tongue of a width equal to the width of the insidev of the tubes with an open center providing spaced resilient arms connected at their ends, said tongue extending into'the hollow free ends of said bracelet and slidably engaging the opposite side walls of the tubes and provided with three projectionsof the same piece of, material as the tongue extending laterally from the same resilient arm and in generally the plane of 'both of said arms, the first of saidprojections being adjacent one end'of an abutment on the side toward the first projec- .tion and an inclined edge on the other side to cause it to be moved inwardly and withdraw it from its wall opening upon pressure tending to move said tongue into said bracelet section but to engage the edge of the opening and limit separating movement of the section ends, and a third projection located between the first two projections and spaced from the first projection substantially the distance that said wall openings are spaced when the free ends of the sections'abut and positioned to extend into the opening in the second section upon movement of the sections to closed position, said third projection being closer to the first projectionthan. to the second and releasable from the opening in the second section by pressure on the first projection and said third projection having an abutment on the side near the first projection to engage the edge of the'wall opening in the second section and hold the sections closed, and an inclined edge on the other-side to cause it to be moved inwardly by engagement with the end of the second tubular section.

ALPHA I-I. METCALF.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

